


The Lone Knight and the Lost Prince

by elibethqueen, PageMage



Category: Infinity Train (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Idiots, Knight Lake, Medieval AU, Prince Jesse, Sleeping Beauty/Shrek/Tangled Inspirations, enemies isn't so accurate. maybe acquaintances who hate each other, multi-chapter, slowburn, some inspiration from orpheus/eurydice
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-14 06:41:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28666395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elibethqueen/pseuds/elibethqueen, https://archiveofourown.org/users/PageMage/pseuds/PageMage
Summary: A loner knight has been roaming the mystical lands of Niart in search of fame and fortune, but a mishap with an enchanted sleeping prince quickly derails her plans. Now she has to escort the prince back to his elusive castle before their magical destinies get irreparably twisted together.
Relationships: Jesse Cosay/Lake | Mirror Tulip, Lake | Mirror Tulip & Tulip Olsen
Comments: 15
Kudos: 44





	1. Enter the Dragon Slayer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of Lake's journey wasn't supposed to be so full of twists and turns, and yet, there he was.

This was the fight she so longed for. 

At long last, she was met with the pinnacle of her quest. The very beast she was searching for, right beyond the castle yard’s crumbling wall. Its hide shone with golden-brown scales that reflected against her armor in the dusk light of the wasteland castle.

The knight crept against an ivy-covered wall, more cautious now that she’d caught a glimpse of it. Lake eagerly drew her sword, gloved fingers tightening around the hilt as she studied her enemy in the reflection of her weapon. The beast of this dismal crumbling castle, a brute as well as a majestic, powerful being. It was legendary.

An _authentic_ _dragon_.

And where there’s a dragon, there are hoards- hoards of precious gold, silver, and sparkling jewelry that could make her a rich knight for the rest of her life if she won. 

_When_ she won. Lake smirked.

Its attention was focused on a far off point in the distance— an opportunity she wasn’t going to pass up. Any advantage on the battlefield was priceless in this world. Her leather boots echoed softly on the cobblestone rubble as she started creeping forward, discreet enough to not draw the dragon’s attention. If she could only get a little bit closer-

_Crack!_

As Lake took her next step, a piece of the stairway had clattered down without warning and she tripped. She staggered down a few steps trying to regain her balance, her awkward recovery only echoing louder and louder across the castle yard. 

_Shoot._ Now that she had startled it, there was no chance at a sneak attack.

The knight was quick to recover and began sprinting towards the great beast with a battle cry that would intimidate even the most dreadful monsters. Its reaction was immediate. The dragon spun its head towards her, large coal-like eyes less fearsome than she’d expected. Still, it didn’t quell her attack in the slightest. 

At the last moment, before she struck the dragon, Lake shifted her landing stance sharply to the left, sword following suit and slicing cleanly into the brown dragon’s arm.

“Yes!” Lake cheered, ripping her sword back. She had expected a roar or at least some kind of reaction to her mighty feat, but neither came. The monster just tilted its giant head at her, curiously.

Having lost her momentum, Lake stumbled back. Clenched her teeth. It wasn’t going to be easy to defeat the dragon, but in the name of destiny, justice, and all that namby-pamby hero stuff, she would _conquer!_

Raising her sword above her head, Lake charged it again, screaming with heightened zeal. Again, she struck the leg. One strike after the other. Still, nothing was coming of it! No blood, no reaction… Was this dragon invincible?

Out of nowhere, the ground dropped out from under her and Lake became weightless. In her confusion, she failed to notice that the other great scaly arm of the beast had moved towards her, and picked her up by her armor’s cape while she was distracted.

A gasp escaped from her mouth, and she rushed to swing her sword in a circle above her head, severing the cape in half and falling to the ground. Her metal armor clanged against itself when she landed flat on her back. 

“Stupid dragon,” she muttered through gritted teeth. “That was my favorite part of the uniform!” 

Lake jumped to her feet. There was no way she was going to defeat this thing with her sword, that was for sure. She needed a new plan, but how would she come up with it in the midst of battle?

The armored knight searched frantically around her for an escape plan, or something to- oh! 

Far above her head, Lake spotted the remains of what looked like a market fair. There was enough miscellanea there that she could use as a distraction. Probably. It was her best bet at a getaway at the moment. But it was so far away… how would she ever scale the crumbling castle in time?

Before she could put her plan into action though, a reptilian arm swung for her again, and she rolled just in time. Lake waved her sword, more out of annoyance now, since it seemed the dragon was just messing with her.

“You don’t think I’m a threat, huh?” Again, no response. Instead, it cast a few more swipes, as if she were the tiny vermin in a game of cat and mouse. But not for long.

Lake’s eyes focused on the dragon’s, waiting for the perfect moment to leap. First a swipe with the left, and then- Yes! Clumsily but effectively, Lake jumped at the right moment and grasped the monster’s arm. She could feel her hand slipping, but since it didn’t do anything anyway, stabbed her sword into the beast’s flesh to pull herself up. From there, she had the height to jump to one of the closest palace roofs. 

But as she was gauging the distance, the dragon began bringing her closer and closer to its face! It must have been tired of playing around- it would eat her if she didn’t act fast!

Panicking only slightly (she was a _professional_ ) Lake took a running start and lept from the dragon’s final outstretched claw. She was weightless again, but then falling, falling, and barely catching herself on an outstretched beam.

Lake breathed a silent prayer for her trained limbs. If it weren’t for her strength, she surely wouldn't have been able to catch herself. Still, the plan wasn’t yet complete.

One breath and she was up again. Sheathing her sword swiftly, she raced along the edge of the rooftops, leaping from shallow roofs to steeper and steeper heights, her target always in sight. 

Meanwhile, the creature was still ravenous. While no roars had bellowed across the ruinous castle yard, she was sure the dragon was aware and angry. It kept snorting, and as fast as she was going, she wasn’t sure if it would be fast enough.

Lake lowered her gaze, determined. No, it _would_ be fast enough. She would make it so.

Finally, she reached her final trial: a steep cobblestone wall with no windows. It left her one choice. Reaching for the belt on her waist, Lake pulled two sturdy daggers and shifted them in her hands so that they were facing downwards. Then, she began to climb, striking the knives in every other notch on the tall tower to scale it.

The higher and higher she got, the closer she could feel the dragon stalking her. In the focused strength of finding the perfect crevices to stab her climbing knives, she couldn’t help the anxious thought that the beast was right below her, just waiting for its moment to swipe her to a fall that would surely kill her. But she kept on climbing. She was almost to the top now, and as soon as she was, she could form a plan that would-

Lake’s left grip slipped, and her whole body jerked downwards, held only by a singular knife. In her fears of the dragon, she’d forgotten her other enemy- the elements. Wind buffeted her swinging body, and Lake gasped out of fright. Her other knife was long gone now, and there was no chance she could grip well enough with only her human hand. She would need something more.

Ragged breath unfettered, Lake reached a single shaky hand behind herself for her sword. It was a long shot, but at that moment, her mind wasn’t wise; it was life-preserving. Swinging the heavy blade with a battle cry that could be her last, she made her last-ditch effort at a crevice up above. 

The blade stuck!

Scrambling to get to the top, Lake drove her last climbing dagger into the nearest crevice under the ledge and pulled herself up. 

It took all her stamina to not fall to the ground and recover when she got there. Just one last part to the plan and she could rest. Lake took her final strides, and then when she got to the rope, swiped down, slicing it easily with her loyal weapon.

Just as she’d hoped, the tarp-like canvas that was held between the two towers came floating down, blinding the dragon from her escape, which she took via a nearby window. It would be hard to travel through the ruins of the castle, but it would have to work.

“Besides,” she whispered to herself, “maybe I’ll find the hoard in here.”

After catching her breath and worn-out nerves, she carried on in her exploration. There was no way she could face that dragon without some sort of magical weapon, but if Tulip had taught her anything, it was that a weathered castle was the perfect place for one to be. When she had served as the alchemist’s apprentice, it was the kind of scouring they did frequently, so she was admittedly pretty good at it.

Capeless but spirited, she began the search. _Secret passageways are often found behind loose bricks or bookshelves_ , Lake thought, Tulip’s words echoing in her mind. But while they usually had all the time in the day and weren’t usually being followed by a _dragon,_ Lake figured tapping the wall at random with her sword was the best use of the time she had.

She realized quickly that clanging armor and spontaneous sword-swinging _probably_ wasn’t the best way to remain inconspicuous. 

Lake groaned, sheathing the sword again. At least her leather boots kept quiet against the cobblestone. She carried on, searching more closely for secret rooms, hallways, and especially for traps. Couldn’t be getting stuck out in the middle of nowhere with no one for miles, right?

An hour went by, but still nothing. The tower was so broken down that it was probably raided a hundred times before. But that still meant the dragon’s hoard had to be around, right? Apparently, it was a more tedious hoarder than she’d expected.

Lake scowled. She’d been around the same hallways and big rooms, and now she was only missing what was beyond the courtyard. A courtyard that, if she risked going into, could reveal her magic-less self to the dragon and get her eaten. Or burned to a crisp. Whatever came first really. 

What other choice did she have though? She could run away, if she were a coward. She could keep looking for another hour, running her gloved fingers along every brick for secrets. No, that’s what Tulip would do. She had to be more strategic about this.

Lake inched along the wall closest to the courtyard, trying to get a better look. Running was noisy, but not if there was something noisier distracting it. She grinned, reaching in one of her hidden pockets. Tulip was a bore, but her alchemy did have its uses sometimes. Maybe if she wasn’t so obsessed with designing new potions all the time, she’d be able to realize the fun parts of it. Like this, for example.

Lake backed up, pulled the string on the contraption, and threw it as hard as she could. As soon as the firework went off, she took off in the opposite direction, making it beyond the courtyard and to the last part of the castle. 

The firework went off for a while, so Lake found it easy to sprint up the stairs, making all the loud noises she wanted. It was freeing, really, to- Wait, was that a _person?_ Lake paused at the top of the staircase, trying to squint at the figure lying in the canopy bed. She nodded. Definitely a person. Definitely… not her problem.

“Nope,” she whispered, taking off to the next room, eyes searching only for treasure. There was _no way_ she was dealing with a most-likely-dead-person today. Treasure first. Then… investigating what kind of weirdo would sleep in a broken-down castle. And… what weirdo would sleep through firecrackers and loud clanging armor. Definitely dead.

Or maybe… magic?

No matter, she wasn’t going to think about it. She was going to search through this… 

Lake sighed audibly. This absolutely empty room. Of course it was. She stalled for a few minutes more, checking for secret passageways even if she knew it was a long shot. Finally, she turned around, leaning her head through the doorway and trying to get a better look.

There it was. The only thing in this dump of a castle. It had to be magic if everything around it was devoid of the stuff, right? So she hoped. Maybe if she woke it up, she’d get a wish or something. Then she could finally get some loot.

Lake took a tentative step towards the bed. Then another. 

Below her feet, the castle shook. Lake fell against the bedframe and screamed, the idea that she could be getting _way_ too close to a corpse still at the center of her mind. Or, er, the dragon! It was back! Lake wasn’t- she wasn’t afraid of corpses!

Slowly, she opened one eye, and then another. She was braced against the bed frame, prepared for a skeleton, rotting flesh, eyeholes without eyes, horrors beyond her imagination.

But he was none of those things.

Laying with his arms crossed over his chest, was the enchanted sleeper. About her age- eighteen or maybe older. He had warm, dark skin, with hair that was messy and falling all around his contented face. He was definitely sleeping, judging by the soft rise and fall of the arms over his chest. Compared to the ruins around her, he looked almost untouched by time; including his pompous getup, which was hilariously outdated.

Lake pulled back. Great! A magic sleeping boy. She didn’t have time for-

The castle shook again, and this time she heard something topple to the ground outside. She didn’t have much time, and she wasn’t just going to let him _become_ the corpse she thought he was.

Lake grabbed his shoulders and shook him. Nothing. He even snored a little bit louder. 

“WAKE UP!” she yelled, forgetting about keeping quiet. Lake threw her arms in the air, walking away and grumbling. She didn’t have the _time_ for this!

“Uhh… abracazam! Shmebulok! Bardiz-shazap! I command-us you-us to-us awake-us! UGH!” 

On he slept. The castle shook again, like a burdensome reminder of her time limit. She almost yelled ‘I know’ at the building, but then she got a better idea.

Lake smirked. It always worked on Tulip when she overslept, so why not now? She flicked the air a couple of times as preparation, then she leaned down, close to his face, and flicked him in the forehead.

His waking was nowhere near as peaceful as she imagined it would be. The boy sat up in a rush, yelling and knocking her to the ground.

“Ow,” she said under her breath, rubbing her head.

“WH- WHERE AM I?” he yelled, moving his head frantically back and forth. Since Lake was on the ground, he didn’t spot her immediately, but she saw him jump to his feet off the bed and then start swaying like he was dizzy. On impulse, Lake rushed to his side fast enough to catch him just as he lost his balance and tumbled into her arms.

The boy jolted when he felt arms around him, and he looked up to see her eyes through her helmet looking down at him, unamused. His expression changed from shocked to flustered, and as fast as he could, he got on his own two feet.

“Didyouwakemeup?” he said, too fast for Lake to catch. 

In her own voice, muffled by the helmet, she asked, “What?”

“Did you- did you break my spell? Or uhh…” he touched his lips, face darkening a couple more shades, but Lake was too busy adjusting her helmet to notice.

“Spell? I didn’t break any spell.”

The prince looked around, visibly confused. “But… you’re the only one here.”

“Yeah, so?”

“ _So_ , it means you must have broken the spell! Why else would I be-” he gestured to himself dramatically “conscious!”

Lake rolled her eyes to the ceiling and glared at him. “Sorry to burst your bubble pretty boy, but I _only_ came here to slay the dragon.” She stepped forward, poking him in the chest as she did. “I didn’t come here to deal with weird sleeping sorcery- or- or _you,_ or stupid invincibility cantrips! So tell me, where are you hiding the magical sword or whatever, and how do I use it to kill the dragon!”

“Wha- Dragon? What are you talking about?”

“Yes! Dragon! Protects the castle! He’s like thirty feet tall, how do you _miss_ that?”

He shook his head. “There’s no dragon,” he laughed. “There’s only-” The castle rumbled beneath their feet, and Lake knew it was more violent than before. The building was falling apart- with or without them.

“We gotta move,” she demanded.

“Wait, I-”

“Now!” she silenced him, unsheathing her sword and bracing herself where she was, searching for the best exit. The two doors wouldn’t work- they both led to the courtyard. There! The window! It was perfect. Lake ran to the bedframe first to slice through the cloth hanging over the canopy bed. Then she took off towards the window.

“Hey, knight lady? The door is _that_ way.” 

“That’s not my name,” she said, her voice echoing through her helmet. She was too busy securing the cloth to the brick window frame to look back at him.

“Oh… Well then, May I know your name? Mine is Jesse.” He gestured gallantly.  
  
Lake rolled her eyes to the ceiling. “Is this really the best time?”

He crouched down next to her, watching her hands as they worked at double and triple tying every knot so they wouldn’t drop her body like a pile of rocks. “Is there ever a best time for anything?”

She snorted, “That’s cute. But really, you won’t know me long enough for that to matter.” Lake noticed Jesse pouting, but ignored him. She tossed the makeshift rope out of the window. “So do you know how to climb, or are you completely useless?”

Jesse frowned, peering out at the distance and wincing. “I could probably manage… but is it really necessary?”

“Yep!” she chirped sarcastically. Then the knight sheathed her sword again and swung a leg out the wide window frame. She was down the sheet-rope before he could even begin to protest.

At the base of the, well, basically rubble remains of the castle, Lake searched for the beast. It couldn’t be far away, not with the building quaking so violently. She still had no idea how to vanquish it, not without some sort of magical intervention. Lake would have to hope for a miracle or at least an obvious weak spot she could strike. Funny, how in all the stories about dragons, invulnerability was never mentioned. Perhaps it was-

Behind her, she heard a thunk. There the clumsy boy sat, and he responded to her unamusement with something of a shrug.

“Come on er… guy, you’re the closest thing I have to a magical weapon.”

“Magical- hey!” He was going to protest more, but she was already dragging him down beside her by his elbow.

“Quiet down, we have bigger problems right now,” she hissed, still keeping her senses trained on the reappearance of the dragon.

“Yeah, like how you’re going to use me as a _weapon,_ ” he hissed back. Lake was already moving away from him, ignoring his words like she’d been doing ever since he woke up. She was creeping along the wall, searching for openings to see the dragon through. 

Jesse, though, was distracted by something else. While Lake was pulling all the weight, he was going on about some random nonsense again.

“Um… knight lady?” his voice grew more concerned, but Lake couldn’t care less.

“Can’t you see that I’m busy?”

She felt a tug on her armor and swiveled to face him angrily. That is, until she noticed the giant figure that had been looming behind her. 

It was even larger than she remembered. The draconic leer was fixed upon the two of them, and in its eyes, she could find no mercy.

And its great leg stood only yards away, close enough to wipe them out of existence in three seconds flat. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Page: Welcome to the beginning of a wonderful alliance! Eli and I have been working since 2020 on this idea and we already have about 6 chapters drafted and so much more to come! So prepare your hearts! I've had such a great time getting to know Eli and she is a brilliant mastermind! She introduced this idea to me and I've just been throwing my words at it for a while and just having the best time ever.
> 
> Eli: *sigh* We just needed a Medieval au in this fandom didn’t we guys?...plus I’m sure we all miss Jesse and Lake going on their crazy adventures, y’all gonna love this hopefully. Also Shout out to Elizas_core and Quiltcheescake (go follow them on insta pls). They gave me too much inspiration, ideas and hype for this project as well as support! Page and I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter. We had so much fun writing it ❤️ We'll be back soon you'll see~
> 
> ALSO! Posting will be irregular, but we'll aim for at least a chapter a month, if not more if we get inspired. School and life come first.


	2. Reflection in the River

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Moments before their destruction, Jesse has a realization.

If there was really such a thing as lady luck, she’d decided that Lake should have a bad day. There she was, standing in a field of straight-up garbage and cobblestone, facing off with an unbeatable dragon. It was probably what she should've expected, given her 'profession' but still, she wasn't exactly thrilled about it.

With her left hand, she drew her sword and used the other to push the boy behind her. “Stand back!” she yelled, bracing herself. 

Instead of reaching its great claws towards her, the dragon dipped its head, fire glowing behind its soulless eyes. It was going to kill them! Lake gripped her sword with both hands now, raising it to her chest in defense.

But instead of breathing fire, the dragon snorted, sending a fog cloud over knight and boy, blinding them. 

Lake yelled in shock, and ran in the opposite direction to be free of the fog until she realized- she’d left the boy behind undefended!  She turned on her heel but was speechless to not only find him gone from where she left him, but also in the grips of the dragon's brown claws.

He was going to die up there! And without any sort of magical weapon (other than potentially himself, though she still wasn’t sure how that would work) she had no chance of saving him.

But she was going to have to try.

Oh, what a day.

Gritting her teeth out of annoyance and concentration, Lake charged the dragon. It was best not to think about her poor technique in these conditions. Lake had had just about  _ enough _ of this quest and she was about to take it out on an invincible beast.

She yelled as she ran, gleaming sword rising above her head as she ran straight towards its nearest leg. But before she could drive the weapon home though, she became close enough to hear that Jesse wasn’t actually in distress after all, but rather yelling at her to stop.  _ Stop _ ?!

“What?” she yelled back.

“You! Need! To! Stop!!!” Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him waving his arms at her frantically. Did he want to get killed that badly?

“Why!” 

“Trust me!”

“Why should I trust you!” she yelled, emphasizing the words with angry swipes of her sword through the air.

“Because!!!”

“No, I’m not going to-” Lake’s voice was cut off in a scream as she was caught off guard by the dragon wrapping its claws so tight around her that she couldn’t use her arms.

Lake started yelling profanities again, flailing and trying to maneuver her sword out from the dragon’s grip.

“Stop! Stop! Stars above, will you stop that?”

Lake whipped her head around to the boy, whose dragon hand was almost level with hers.  “Do you have no survival instinct whatsoever? We are in the grips of a  _ Dra. Gon!” _ she yelled again, annunciating every syllable with another struggle against the claws.

Jesse laughed. Oh, now he was  _ laughing _ , too! What use was it to save him if he was absolutely insane? 

“This isn’t a dragon.”

Lake’s mouth hung open. “Y- Yes it-”

“No, it’s not. Show her, Sir Alan!” he grinned with a flourish of his free hand. Lake was still staring blankly between him and the dragon. The dragon’s grip was loosening on her, and she took the opportunity to jump from its hand to the ground only a few feet away. She landed defensively, sword still out and a warlike grimace fixed on her face. It seemed to be pointless though since the boy jumped out right after her, perfectly unharmed. Then, in her periphery, she noticed the dragon begin to change.

She saw it first with its claws, which were shrinking before her eyes. Then the rest of the former dragon became level with her, as it took the form of a deer.

Lake was speechless.

“Tada!” he smiled dorkily and walked over to sling an arm around it. “This is my dear deer Alan! He was supposed to protect me from enemies while I slept.”

“You- Wha- I-” Lake still couldn’t put her thoughts into words, but finally, she said, “You  _ named it? _ ”

“Of course! Wait, do you think Alan is a bad name? Hmm, maybe I should pick something cooler, like… Oh! Like Dracula! Cause he turned into a dragon!”

“Unbelievable,” she growled as the boy reached both arms over the shapeshifter- still in deer form- and scratched his fur. 

This was infuriating. This was just… ridiculous. She’d traveled five days and nights for this exact castle to find what? A magic boy and his stupid pet deer? Or… a stupid boy and his magic pet deer. Whatever! The point was, her mission was kaput. And to add insult to injury, she wasn’t getting any gold either. Oh, the time she’d wasted! She’d even spent weeks prior charting out the castle’s exact location. She should’ve gone to Stormhaven instead. Either way, every additional minute here was another waste of time.

“That’s it. I’m leaving.”

“Oh, alright!” he chimed, following exactly in her path.

Lake swiveled around on her heel. “ _ No _ , I didn’t say  _ we’re _ leaving, I said that  _ I _ was leaving.” 

“O- oh! Leaving?” he left the deer quickly and was already by her side, the bothersome boy. “But how will we- you know- find each other again?”

She looked taken aback. “We… won’t.”

“But-”

She cut him off with a hand, sheathing her sword and marching away. He still had the audacity to follow her, even putting a hand on her shoulder to try and stop her from walking, which she immediately deflected.

“Hey! W-Wait!” he called out. 

“What now?!” The knight finally stopped with a growl, raising her arms in exasperation. 

He cleared his throat, anxiety shining through his expression. “Actually… I was erm… I was wondering if you could help me still?”

She crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Why would I want to do that?”

“Um… Oh! I know! There’s a reward!” he snapped his fingers, looking pleased with himself. “If you help me out I’m sure my family would be able to provide you with some compensation. Perhaps… money? Or…” he coughed,  _ “something else,” _ he mumbled.

Lake raised her eyes to the sky and fixed her unamused expression on him. She doubted it would be worth the money to help him out, but it might make her feel better about wasting her time. And he did appear to be wearing fancy enough clothing. Assisting a royal, especially an enchanted one, could get her quite a sum. Maybe…

“I’m listening. What’s the favor, pretty boy?”

“I just noticed your protective armor and knight skills, and I thought you could help me get back to my castle!”

“ _ Your _ Castle _? _ ” This story just kept getting richer. Literally.

“Yeah, castle! Oh, right, I forgot to introduce myself.” He didn’t forget, but he reintroduced himself anyway with a dramatic flourish. “I am Jesse, Crown Prince of Arzonya, and heir to the throne at Castle Finitaven.”

“Oh wow, I’m honored,” she monotoned.

He smiled like it was a genuine compliment. “So, will you graciously accept my quest?”

Lake sighed heavily, took a moment to process, and responded. “I’ll do your quest, princey, but I said nothing about gracious. You better not expect me to uphold dumb formalities.”

“Oh, there’s no need, I don’t like formalities either” he smiled, blissful and ignorant of her obvious disdain for royalty.

“Alright,” she groaned. “So where’s your castle?”

“Uh…” he smiled and shrugged good-naturedly, but there was nothing good-natured about Lake’s glare.

“You don’t  _ remember?” _

He shook his head and she reached her hand over to flick him in the forehead.

“Ow! Do you know how much metal armor hurts?” he rubbed his forehead.

“Do you know how hard it is to find a random castle with the maps that are around these days?”

“No!” He said, angry for the first time in their conversation. “I don’t actually know anything about ‘these days’. I don’t even know how long I was asleep!”

“Well judging by your clothing, it’s been a  _ while, _ ” she laughed.

“Why did you have to say that?” he complained, looking appropriately embarrassed. 

“I’m just being honest,” she grinned rudely. “Besides, we’ll find out as soon as we get to a market and find a map.” Lake walked over to the deer and placed a tentative hand on his back, if only to begin guiding him forward. They were going to lose daylight standing around like this. “Now c’mon, I know the way to one.”

“See? Helpful already,” he chirped.

Lake’s eye twitched. She wasn’t doing this for him, she was doing it for the money, and he was already treating her like some lowly servant.  _ Princes _ . For the umpteenth time that day, she wondered how she got stuck in this crazy situation.

“So… what kind of quests have you been on?” he asked, leaning towards her.

“I get paid for navigation, not for small talk.”

“Oh, c’mon knight lady. I know you’re not as hard as your outer shell,” he laughed, knocking on her armor which made a clanging sound.

“You’d be surprised,” she noted wryly.

“So, what is your name after all? Being elusive is pointless since we’re quest friends now.”

“Quest Frien- Ugh. You know what? Just for that comment, I’m not going to tell you.”

“Aww, c’mon, please? Pretty Pleeeease? I don’t know what to call you!”

The knight sighed, giving in to the pestering. “ _ Wow _ you’re annoying. I’m Lake.”

“Oh, that’s a cool name! Lake what?”

She threw her hands up in exasperation. “Are you gonna pry about everything in my personal life? Why don’t you ask the deer some questions.”

“You mean Alan Dracula?”

She shot him an incredulous look. “Now his name is  _ Alan Dracula? _ How do you even know this… freak of nature!? Like what is your entire, like,” she gestured to him, “deal?”

“Oh! I’d love to tell you, hold on let me just-” he fumbled with a bag slung across his chest and pulled out a tiny harp and then strummed it. “It all began~” he started to sing, “When I was captured by a waaaarlock! And his name was,” he strummed dramatically, “One ooone!”

“No, No. Stop that right this moment,” Lake begged, trying to put her hands over her ears but being thwarted by her own helmet.

“No chance, Lake, this is my story, and I get to choose how it’s told. Anyway~”

“Nooooo…” she groaned, but Jesse strummed on.

“I was,” he breathed in, and then let out a high pitched: “Cursed! And I was left in this castle to die…”

Lake shook her head, glad it was finally over, and then-

“But then! I was saved by a beautiful knight-”

“-you’ve never even seen what I-”

“-Aaaand then we became Quest friends! Brought together by the sheer majesty of an incredible super awesome quest!”

“I literally hate your guts. I’m literally doing this only for the money, and I think you should know that” she only half-joked.

Jesse smiled, nudging her shoulder, “Nah, I’ll grow on you. I did back home too! You know, everyone at the castle says I’m their favorite prince.”

Lake rolled her eyes, “They were paid to be your friends, of course they would say that.”

“Aw, you big downer. Anyway… why do you have armor? You said you were alone, but as far as I remember, Knights always have Lieges.”

Lake set her jaw. “Not me.”

“Oh, really? Well, maybe you should explain your life story and-”

“Nope, nope, I’m walking ahead of you now,” she said, quickening her stride so she could be a few paces ahead of the magical prince and his animal companion. It was like she was being locked in every kind of trope there was, when she  _ should _ be focusing on her next move. The town wasn’t far, according to her memory, possibly twenty miles northwest. But how could she find north in the daytime, without the stars? As far as she knew, they could be traveling in the opposite direction. The field they were crossing seemed to be miles long, which meant she wouldn’t have any trees or moss to find north either. If only there was something she could use to navigate.

After a while, Lake stopped walking, a sudden unfamiliar noise having reached her ears. It was rushing water, and by the sounds of it, the river wasn’t too far off either. She grinned. A river would be perfect! The map she’d used to get to the castle (before she’d traded it for food money) had designated the ocean to be eastward of the ruinous keep. Since all rivers flowed to the ocean, at least she’d be on the right path if she was traveling opposite of it.

“Change of plans, your lostness!” She clapped, turning on her heel to yell at Jesse who was still a bit behind her, mid-serenade to his deer. “We’re going to find that river.”

“River?”

“Yes, can’t you hear it?”

“Yeah I just thought you’d be looking for a Lake,” he grinned cheesily.

Lake groaned loudly, glad that there was a safe distance keeping her from clobbering him immediately. Now she was really excited to find it just to have an excuse to be alone with herself. She really needed a break from the obnoxious prince. 

“You know what? Maybe you should hang back. Set up camp or do something useful, but  _ don’t start a fire!  _ You’ll set the whole field up in flames, alright?”

“Are you sure you wanna go alone?” he called back.

“There’s no one for miles! Relax, I’ll be back before the sun sets.”

He nodded or at least did something close enough to be satisfactory, and Lake wandered off, finally having the space to breathe her own air. She was following the river by ear, paying almost no attention to her footfalls in the grass. It was close now, and she could feel it not only in the air but in her heart. She always loved being near bodies of water; it gave her a unique feeling of freedom despite not being able to float until just recently.

After a few minutes of walking, she found it. Almost fell into it actually, since she was playing it by ear. But her feet started sinking into the waterbed and she stopped just short.

Lake smiled. Water. Always a good omen, especially because it meant she could fill up her water canister too, just in case their ‘quest’ was going to take longer than she thought. She sighed. If only that mystical deer thing could sprout wings and just  _ fly  _ him to his dumb castle. Then she could be alone again.

A growling in her stomach interrupted her thoughts. Right, food. Something they needed. She reached for her sack containing her canister, but in the process knocked her helmet against her head. Oh, hey, no dragon. That meant she could take off her helmet.

The knight sighed, lifting the helmet from her head. She’d spent too long in the clunky thing, although she knew it protected her while she was vulnerable under Tulip’s human spell. The armor was like her home away from home… or her skin away from skin since she missed her chrome protection when she was-

Lake caught her reflection in the water and fell over into the river with a shocked gasp. The lack of temperature she felt through her now-soaking clothes was testament enough to her change. Her face… instead of the peachy tone she’d gotten used to, it was back to her natural skin. Her  _ metal _ skin. Lake stood up, shaking off the water as best she could to stare down at her reflection. 

What was she going to do with this mess? She needed to restore the human spell but she had to find Tulip to make it for her. Such a task would have already been difficult without her little “mission”, besides knowing so little about what had become of her in the last few years. 

Lake bit the inside of her cheek, squeezing her hands into fists. This was not good. She’d had problems in the past with royal bounty hunters sent to deal with magical anomalies in Niart, it was the reason she’d had to adapt to being under the human spell in the first place. The disadvantages of being human were downright delightful if it meant she wasn’t being hunted down for being just who she was. But now that safety net was long gone.

Not to mention their rare discovery of a shapeshifter. One anomaly was risky enough on this quest, but two? Or even three if Jesse still had weird magic problems going on. Was that what messed with her spell? It shouldn’t have broken otherwise, but here she was, chrome skin and short chrome hair and no way to keep herself hidden. What was she going to do?

Behind her, Lake picked up a distant yell. “Lake! Lake are you okay?” 

Lake’s pulse spiked, and she had enough sense to snatch her helmet off the shore and shove it onto her head before turning to face the boy.

“What,” she grumbled, putting her hands on her hips.

“I heard a scream, and I thought you got hurt!”

“Do I look hurt?” she snapped.

Jesse scoffed and then pointed at her. “You’re standing in a river! Obviously, that means you fell in. C’mon,” he said, holding his hand out to her. She noticed that his tone had relaxed as if he were relieved she was okay.

Lake took a moment to be stubborn, but then she realized she was still standing in two feet of water, and reluctantly accepted his hand. Jesse attempted to pull her out on his own, which is when Lake realized that she was going to have to pretend to be light, too. To say the least, getting out of the river was uncomfortable.

“So, uh,” Jesse said as soon as they were both back on the shore. It seemed to Lake that he couldn’t handle any kinds of silence, awkward or otherwise. “Did’ja catch any fish?”

She stared at him blankly, without response. 

“Oh, so… no dinner then?”

“Hey, since when do  _ I _ have to do all the work?” she accused.

“Jeez, I’m sorry! I just figured that’s why you were at the river-”

“And you were supposed to set up camp-”

“But then I heard you fall in! Is it a crime to be worried?”

Lake and Jesse seethed, each staring the other down. Finally, Jesse gave in with a sigh. “I don’t know why you’re so determined to hate me.”

“Oh, oh, you wanna know  _ why?  _ First of all, you talk, like,  _ all _ the time. Also, you don’t do anything! Even if you didn’t tell me you were a prince I’d probably figure it out from all your,” she gestured, “uselessness! I can’t believe I expected you to help, you can’t even tell me where your stupid castle is! You expect everything to be done for you cause you’re  _ royal  _ and you… you…” her words faltered when she finally looked into his eyes. It was obvious that the words she’d been itching to say for the last hour were actually doing harm. 

Lake stopped talking and turned away, still bitter. “Forget it. I’m going to set up camp.” 

When she heard no response from him, unrelenting guilt gnawed at her insides. It wasn’t like him to be quiet. Jesse usually filled every silence with endless talking, but this time he didn’t. She had hurt him. Still, stubborn pride kept her from turning back and apologizing. A thought struck her then- her prejudice against the rich was unjustified against him, the boy who’d been cursed under no fault of his own. Her strides slowed until they became short, reluctant steps.

She didn't owe him anything, did she? Her only job here was to get him home in one piece, that was all. The knight bit the inside of her cheek once again.

Clearly, she couldn’t convince herself. 

Lake exhaled with frustration, and knowing the feeling wouldn’t go away, she figured that it was more impertinent to use her energy to set up their shelter before nightfall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Page: A lot of you predicted Alan DraGula so props to you guys! I guess we need to get better at foreshadowing huh?
> 
> Eli: we didn't even try tho...
> 
> Page: .... shut up


	3. Constellations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In an attempt to figure out his prophecy, Jesse confesses something to Lake.

Jesse didn’t think that his day would end where he was lying. Well, to be honest, he hadn’t expected to be cursed by a warlock in the middle of that day either, so maybe it checked out. The mysterious knight lady had set up the most makeshift sleeping arrangements he’d seen in his entire life. It was just a lean-to set up against a lone tree in the wide grass field, the stick roof so holey that he could pretty much see the whole sky. And she’d expected him to just sleep in the grass, like a peasant! 

She hadn’t even apologized for yelling at him, much less the encampment, the constant rudeness, bad manners, and insults.

And yet he was supposed to make her fall in love with him.

What a day.

The most concerning of all was the fact that he had no idea where or even _when_ he was. He worried about his family. Were they even still alive? He hated to admit it to himself, but he was afraid. The stupid amulet hiding under his tunic was supposed to clarify him as the king, but was there even a kingdom left for him to rule over? He wished he knew, but at the same time, he wished he never had to find out.

There were so many questions. He’d been trying to distract himself with talking, but Lake obviously hated him for it now, and now he was moving backward in the whole “woo the hero who wakes you” thing that was involved with the destiny he’d been forced into. Jesse had foolishly assumed that it would be easy, that someone who was supposed to be destined for him would just fall instantly for his charm.

The problem was, he’d _tried_ all that! 

He thought that she could at least be endeared by his traveling songs. Or his decent looks. Or the magic deer! Who couldn’t love that? 

_Maybe,_ he thought bitterly, _She’s only attracted to money_. She certainly couldn’t care less about him, even if he had it… or thought he had it. Heck, his kingdom could be buried in war, or famine, or all the horrible things. But that was information that he’d be careful to share with the rude knight, lest she abandon him immediately.

In some ways, he wished she _would_ leave him alone. At least he’d have a reason to explain why his “beloved” didn’t want him. She’d run away, pursuing other means, or gotten killed by Alan on accident. Jesse knew better though- his parents would be so disappointed if he reappeared without a fiancé. Besides, he would probably die out here without her.

Still, with all the anger through their multiple arguments, he couldn’t help but hope she would find it in her to like him, at least a little bit. She had a sense of humor, if a crude one. There’s no way she’d ever fit in at court, but he wouldn’t care about that if she was nice to him.

Jesse sighed to the deep blue night sky. His heart still hurt from all the things she’d said about him earlier, but he still had to _try_ and woo her, right? It’s what was expected of him. 

The lost prince cast one more disdainful look at the hatched roof before he pulled himself to his feet to go join her outside. She was lying not far away, squinting at the stars. Probably for navigation, since this was just a job to her. She was still wearing her _armor_ , too, the freak. Like she always had to be protected. Or maybe it was because she didn’t trust him to not stab her when she wasn’t looking. It was the lack of trust that hurt most.

But he could change that, if she’d let him. Jesse settled down next to her in the field uncomfortably, the scratchy grass itching at his collar. She didn't react to his appearance in the slightest.

“So… did you like the dinner I prepared?” he asked hopefully. He was referring, of course, to the various berries he’d collected and presented to Lake to make it up to her, hoping that she would be proud. She wasn’t.

“Better than dirt, I guess,” she mumbled. Then she raised a hand above her head, trying to position it with the stars.

“I take that as high praise,” he joked, to no avail. Since she hadn’t responded, Jesse kept going, “So what are you… looking at?” 

“The stars, idiot.”

Jesse bit his lip and then took a risk, scooting closer to where she was so that there was barely any distance between them. “Wanna… tell me about it?”

Lake shot him a look of displeasure, and then scooted away. “If you _want._ ”

“I do want,” he said coyly, trying to put on his best flirtation.

Lake sat up bolt upright. “Hold on, hold on. What _exactly_ are you doing?”

“Me? Nothing.” he said innocently. “I just care about the stars, that’s all.”

The knight gave him one more suspicious look that he could feel through the helmet, and then settled down again, even further away from him. “Al… right.”

“So,” he coughed awkwardly. “What’s that star called?” he pointed up at a random star and Lake broke out in a bawdy laugh. “What?”

“I don’t know what every single star is called! Have you ever learned astronomy?”

He scoffed lightly, “have _you?”_

“Well, no, but stars are called by their constellations, not by themselves.”

“Oh yeah?” he challenged, “what about Polaris? That one has a name, so why can’t the others have names?”

Lake hmmed. “You have a point. Hey, wait, if you know about Polaris, why are you asking me to show you the stars?”

Jesse’s smile froze on his face and he shrugged. “Oh you know, well, I’m not exactly sure how long I’ve been out so maybe, uh, the stars have changed?”

She snorted. “Possibly. Fine, I’ll just show you what I’m looking for. You see that? Those are the Pleiades,” Lake pointed up at an outcropping of stars, but Jesse couldn’t see precisely where her hand was since she was lying so far away.

“Not exactly,” he said, glancing off to the side awkwardly. “I think I’ll have to be closer to be able to see where you’re pointing.” Jesse could already feel the glare coming, or maybe a flick. He was on strike three, thin ice, however you wanted to call it, his plan was becoming apparent. But then she did the unexpected.

“Fine,” she said gruffly, and he heard her armor clink as she shifted closer to him. She was so close, in fact, that he could feel her armored shoulder brush his. But then she lifted that arm and pointed. “Pleiades.”

“Pleiades plural?”

“Yeah, there’s no one pleiade. They’re just a collection of stars, so that’s what the group is called.”

“Ah.”

“And I can use Pleiades to find Orion's belt, and from there we find north.”

Jesse nodded, awed. She was so knowledgeable about this kind of thing, maybe even more than those astronomy lessons he’d basically slept through. If she was this kind always, it would be easy for them to be friends. If only she would take off the helmet, and _trust_ him.

“So, are we going north then?”

“Hmm, no. On that map that Tul- that I saw, there was a town a few miles northwest of your castle. The stars rotate around Polaris in the night time so it’s hard to place west as well as north. Luckily, the river that we saw today flows east, we can just travel the opposite way and a little northward and we’ll be there in no time.”

“Wow,” he said. Maybe keeping her along wouldn’t be such an awful idea. Knowing how abandoned the castle was now, he _definitely_ would’ve died without her. 

“Yeah, I know a thing or two,” she said smugly, dropping her hand to her side. She still hadn’t scooted away for some reason. A reason that Jesse figured was good enough to make a move.

“You uh… you really do. Thanks,” he said. A beat of silence passed between them, and Jesse used it to slowly move his hand so that he was holding hers.

It backfired.

“What the-” Lake immediately yanked her hand away and sat up on her knees. “What are you trying?!”

Jesse sat up as well. “You- you didn’t move away so I thought-”

“I don't understand!” She exclaimed.“First, you annoy me, and now you’re trying to-to _romance_ me or something?” She flailed her hands over her head angrily. “What is _wrong_ with you?!”.

“I…” he sighed. There was no way he could get past this, not if he was going to continue to lie to her. Jesse grabbed a fistful of his hair and pulled his hand down his face. “I have to _marry_ you.”

“WHAT!” She stood up immediately, in less than a second she had already taken the handle of her sword. “Back off, CREEP!”

“WHOA,” he threw his hands up and backed up. “ H-Hold on! I can explain!”

“You BETTER,” she threatened, pulling the sword a little further from its scabbard.

“Ah- WAIT, Please! Y-You’re the one who broke the spell, and- and those are the rules! ” He cried out.

“What the HELL are you talking about?!” her sword was dangerously close to leaving her side now. Jesse flinched. He could feel all the blood draining from his face and tried not to imagine her cutting through him like butter. 

“When you kissed me you broke the spell! That’s why I’m awake and the prophecy sai-“

“I didn’t kiss you!” 

“You didn’t?”

“OF COURSE NOT!” she roared.

“Oh... Wait! Then how did you wake me up?!”

“I flicked you!”

“That’s not how it’s supposed to work!”

“And how is that my fault?!”

“B-But I don’t get it, You are “the hero”, how is it that you didn’t even kiss me and don’t want to marry me _either_? This is so weird!”

“No, Really?!” Lake’s eyes flashed, then her voice lowered with intensity. “So let me get this straight, this whole deal is because I broke your stupid spell?” She paused and took in a sharp breath. “And also now I have to _marry_ you because a dumb prophecy says so, huh?”

Jesse gulped. “...B-basically.”

A tense moment passed between them where Lake was practically shaking with rage, probably considering whether or not he could keep his legs. Then finally she shoved back her sword to its sheath with an abrupt clang.

“That’s _never_ going to happen _,_ ” she stated, backing away from him. Jesse heard his own sigh of relief.

She was surely still intimidating, and even without the sword, he could still feel a glare slicing his neck. Jesse wrapped his arms around himself, feeling awful and twisted inside. There was no way she’d want to be friends with him, much less stay and help him get home. 

_Stupid, stupid, stupid._

“Listen, I-”

“Hold on a second,” she said, cutting off his words with a hand. “Marriage… is it _specifically_ connected to the spell?”

He was still looking at the ground in shame.“Pretty sure.”

“Then, I’m sorry.”

“Wait, you’ll marry-”

“No.”

“...Oh.” He figured as much.

“Because it’s a fluke.” He could’ve sworn he heard a smile in her voice.

“A fluke? What do you mean?”

“The _spell,_ Jesse!” she was walking closer to him, sounding excited. What on earth could she be excited about? When a lifetime with him seemed to fill her with misery just a moment ago.

“Well… if it wasn’t magic, I’d be _dead_ , so I’m pretty sure-” 

“When I broke your spell, it broke my spell too. That must be why I’m not ‘mindlessly in love with you’ or why- whatever stupid _destiny_ you claim- is not happening.”

Jesse was dumbfounded. “Spell? What spell?” He saw her gloved fingers curl into fists. Then, in one smooth motion, she pulled off her helmet.

The stars stared back at him. Or, that’s what he saw first. It was clear that she had human aspects, but her skin was completely reflective. Jesse tilted his head to see her features better, and he swore he could see her lips scowl at him. After he got beyond the captivating reflection of the stars, her face became definitive in his mind. The only thing on her head that wasn’t reflective were two small ruby earrings. She had hair, but it was cropped and very short. Actually, she was short too, shorter than her helmet made her appear, and he almost laughed at the amount of rage she had been displaying earlier.

“So… you’re made of… glass.”

“No, idiot!” she reached over and flicked him, and it hurt enough that he immediately regretted believing that. “I’m made of metal.”

 _Obviously,_ he thought to himself, rubbing his shoulder where she’d probably left a bruise. “Then what is the armor for?” he laughed nervously. “Do you get dents or something?”

Lake was unamused. “I need it when my spell _isn’t_ broken by maniacs who sleep in crumbling castles.”

“It’s not my fault!” He raised his arms above his head, exasperated. “I didn’t ask for that crazy Warlock to kidnap me and put me to sleep- Or t-to seal my romantic fate with someone I don’t even know!” Jesse was tired of explaining this. Lake obviously wasn't listening to him and there wasn't much he could do to make up for his actions now. He hid his face with his hands, wishing that the earth would just swallow him in one gulp.

They both seemed to need a moment of silence. He figured maybe it would be easy to talk about this later, but just as he was willing to walk away a metallic voice echoed behind him.

“Still… Why did you keep up with it then? You don’t even want to… Why not just do whatever _you_ want instead?” Jesse detected a slight change of tone in her voice, one not as cold as he expected.

The prince sighed heavily and looked out at the field. “I dunno… I’ve always been told I might be part of this bizarre prophecy. Everyone in the castle kinda expects it of whoever gets chosen so I guess I just figured that was what I was _supposed_ to do.” Jesse frowned. “It sounds kinda dumb when I say it out loud though.”

Lake nodded, and then sat back down in the grass, leaving her helmet where it was lying. She really was a marvel to look at, and he almost had to fight the urge to watch how the light played off her skin. He had even _more_ questions now, just begging to be asked. Following her example, he settled down next to her in the grass and leaned his head on his knees.

“So…” she started, breaking the awkward silence. “Is this whole prophecy deal a um… “royal thing” or is it just you?”

“Hold on, you’re a whole entire metal person, shouldn’t I be asking the questions?”

She shook her head with a laugh, “That’s my business. Besides, I wasn’t the one trying to propose a second ago. I think I deserve a proper backstory.”

“Oh, _now_ you’re asking.”

She smiled to the field in front of them, “I guess I am. I mean, a magical destiny? I’m just curious.”

Jesse sighed. “Well, you asked for it.”

“Without the singing, please.”

“Fine but it’s less fun that way.” He leaned back in the field until he was staring at the sky, trying to recall the bitter memories. “I guess it all started when I was ten. That’s when my parents told me about the prophecy, anyway. I thought it was just supposed to be this grand fairytale about some other prince that would come along. Until that ‘other prince’ became,” he pointed sadly at himself. “this prince.” He frowned. “The prophecy stated that someone of the royal line would be visited by One-One, an ancient source of archaic magic, and then he would be stolen away to a hidden castle to be awoken by a hero whom he was destined to be bonded with. And then he’s supposed to go on to become some great king who unites the land or whatever.” Jesse reached a hand behind his neck and closed his eyes. “I never once thought that could be me. I’ve never been great at the council meetings my father brought me to, and I’m not that good at the other stuff they teach me either. I’m too agreeable or something, I mean- my dad used to call me “wishy-washy”. I think... it was a mistake that I was chosen at all? I dunno… You may not have been wrong about all my _uselessness_ after all _._ ” The words came out fairly bitter, but Jesse couldn’t stop them. All the arguing and pestering had led him to this.

His words were met with a beat of silence, and then she huffed, “I’m sorry about being a jerk earlier,” she resigned to say. “I’ve actually been a pretty bad guide, since I _did_ agree to this, so.” Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her cross her arms in front of her chest.

“It’s fine.” Then he laughed lightly, “I’m not used to being awake for this long.” He joked, then turned his head to see her chuckle to herself.

“I think I’ve heard of One-One, actually. Though the, uh, woman who told me always just called him One. I’m pretty sure he’s the same bipolar warlock you’re talking about. ...What was he like?” Her voice was tinted with fascination. For someone so fiercely independent and cold, it seemed she had a soft spot for legends. Jesse smiled to himself.

“At first? Very jarring. I mean, he’s got two heads!” he mimed with his hands. “I didn’t know which eyes to look at so I just kinda stared at the empty space between them.” 

“Confusing,” Lake snickered. 

“He’s my last memory though. I was wandering through the palace garden when he appeared right in front of me. His… um… right head? Explained the quest, which I knew about, and then the left said something sarcastic about my last words to my family,” Jesse frowned then, looking at his feet in the grass. “But I didn’t get the chance to. I was too speechless, and too slow, and the next thing I know, everything goes black. And then you. And this.”

There was silence again, but far less tense than it had been before. It was still heavy with pity, though. “Wow. Your life sucks.”

“...Thanks a lot.”

“At least you won’t be stuck with me as a bride, huh?” she hit his arm playfully. “That would be a disaster.”

“Disaster… yeah,” he laughed, but his heart wasn’t in it. _I can’t decide if it would make my life easier or worse_ , he thought sadly. _This awful curse was the one thing I could hold onto. If I don’t have the surety of the prophecy, what will become of the kingdom? What will become of_ me _? Maybe my real title should be Prince of disappointment._

“So,” she smiled maniacally. “All this time you thought I’d kissed you?” 

Jesse’s face heated up. He _had_ thought that. In all honesty, he felt a little sad that he’d missed out on his first kiss ever, but now knowing that she was chrome… it probably wouldn’t have gone the way he’d thought. _Still._

“Uhh I mean,” he scratched the back of his neck, where his blush had spread. “What else was I supposed to think? That’s how I thought the spell worked, you know?”

“Maybe I’m just a weird dream then.”

Jesse’s eyes went wide, and he scrambled to pinch himself. “Ow!”

Lake burst into laughter, resting a hand on her stomach to stabilize herself. Jesse frowned petulantly. “That wasn’t nice.”

“You’re too easy to fool, Romeo.”

He shook his head with a tiny smile. Her laugh was… kinda nice. Or maybe it was just better to be laughed at than directly teased. 

“Yeah,” he yawned. “Well, um, goodnight, non-fiance.”

“Goodnight, un-betrothed,” she grinned toothily at him and settled down in the grass as he walked away. Jesse shook his head as he waded through the grass. What a weird day. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Page: Hey guys!! Sorry it's been a few weeks, but in my defense, SCHOOL. Can you tell that I love writing angry Lake? Poor Jesse haha I would NOT want to face her fury pssh.
> 
> Eli: 6v6 did ya like Romeo joke? ;v; I just think it's very cute. Jesse thinking Lake stole his first kiss tho >\\\\\\\< sobs


End file.
